MACON, Ga. — When a disaster like the war in Ukraine strikes, many are eager to help, but it's important to do your research before you donate to just any website.
Iryna Pashchenko is originally from Kyiv and has stayed there throughout the war.
"You feel fooled and devastated," Pashchenko said.
She says she fell victim to scam links the first few days of war.
"Every five minutes, you got tons of news, tons of new information, and that felt so spicy -- every moment, every link, every step," Pashchenko said.
Pashchenko says she felt this was a way to help her country since she wouldn't be the one fighting, and she says during the first few days, she didn't really have time to verify everything.
"You just spread whatever looks good and official, and whatever looks right," Pashchenko said.
Kelvin Collins with the Better Business Bureau shares some things you should look out for if you plan to donate to help people in Ukraine.
He says to look out for sites that pop up that didn't exist a few weeks ago or sites that claim 100% of proceeds will go to the victims.
"With this being an international war, the mail is not being delivered on time every day, so you have to make sure that you're choosing a reputable charity," Collins said.
He says the best thing you can do is ask for something in writing. Don't hand over money without knowing where it's going.
"After that, I spread links only from the people I personally know, or some links that are official where you can see the blue check," Pashchenko said.